Shows

As I walked about the premier bonsai show in Taiwan, several things fell into place. Firstly, it was apparent why the Japanese thought so highly of Taiwanese bonsai. They don’t feel that way of many places, South Korea is one of the few others. By the time I’d finished walking the show, I’d decided that […]

True, this is not as exciting as Star Wars, but still, our Final Episode is the photographic finale of our trip to Japan this February! Yay! Cymbals crashing, drums going nuts, frogs leaping off bridges, etc. Going back in time a bit to our first day…we all became kids over dinner. Here’s Grant and Peter […]

Demo on a house can be fun, with a sledge hammer, a few pounds of dynamite… well, the Artisans Cup renovation was not really explosively changed, but it does look fantastically better (I can say this as it was Ryan and Kirsten’s doings, not mine) Please check it out: http://www.artisanscupofportland.com Especially have a good look […]

David DeGroot came up with the idea for this show at the Pacific Rim Collection, and Monday 25th, June was the setup day. As usual, anything involving Ryan and I involves some ridiculous story getting there. This time we had a meeting with Travel Portland regarding the Artisans Cup of Portland Bonsai Exhibition prior to driving to […]

That title sounds like an intrepid traveling band, but no, we don’t sing. Or play, I think. But then again, if anyone wants Ryan Neil and I to sing, we might consider about $8,000 per minute. Although I can’t speak for Ryan, you might pay ME that much to stop. It would be an awful […]

Apologies for my blogging absence… I was in Japan for half of February, and will post a few photos from that shortly. Technical problems abound… I used my iPhone for most of the image-making. Unknown at the time, my computer is so old that it will not accept images from the iPhone. And one of […]

This unassuming dwarf quince can steal your heart. There are many who have gone to Japan for the spectacular pines, junipers, and maples, only to discover the quiet but memorable Chojubai. Those ‘many’ included a few friends of mine, and myself. This post is a little longer than most because Chojubai is so little known […]

Something I’m very excited about these days is the beginning of a fledgling professional bonsai community here in Portland, Oregon, which is just stretching its wings. In addition to myself we have Ryan Neil who came back from Japan in 2010 and has already made a spectacular start with headlining at the Noelanders event in […]

Here are photos of bonsai I worked on that were accepted into the bonsai shows in Japan during my apprenticeship: the Kokufu-ten, the Sakufu-ten, and the Taikan-ten. Kokufu show #80 – 2006 Chochubai flowering quince (left), Ezo spruce (right) Red pine. You may notice several different stylistic approaches in the bonsai on this page. Only about […]